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THIS is the dramatic moment a Ukrainian drone destroys Russia's "indestructible" turtle tank in the latest blow to Putin's failing forces.
Footage shows the sturdy military vehicle suddenly blowing up in flames after its crew left the hatch wide open in a fatal mistake.
The drone is seen in the daylight mission smoothly descending until it enters Mad Vlad's tanker, hitting it with pinpoint accuracy.
Bright orange flames engulf the turtle tank, reducing it to debris and melted metal.
The precise attack was recorded by the Ukraine's 93rd Mechanized Brigade.
Ukraine's Ministry of Defense confirmed the blow on X, writing: "Occupiers made a 'turtle' tank but forgot to close a hatch.
"[Ukrainian] drone pilots don't forgive such mistakes."
"Turtle tanks" generally refer to tanks with a heavily armored, low-profile design resembling the shape of a turtle.
The term isn't specific to a single model but can describe various tanks known for their strong armor and defensive capabilities.
One prominent example is the German Panzer VIII Maus, the heaviest fully enclosed armored fighting vehicle ever built.
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Another is the Soviet KV-2, known for its thick armor and large turret.
The design philosophy behind these tanks focuses on maximum protection and survivability on the battlefield, often at the cost of speed and mobility.
It is not the first time that Putin's failing forces have resorted to using these bizarre mobile sheds on the battlefield.
Russian tanks have appeared underneath turtle shell-like cages after it was revealed that a humiliated Putin has lost almost all of the tanks he had when he began his brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Since before the grim two-year milestone in Mad Vlad's war, Russian top brass have been forced to rely on “warehouses and warehouses with stockpiles of vehicles left over from the Cold War".
RISING DEATH TOLL
With 1,270 soldiers lost on Sunday and 1,290 Monday, Russia has also seen its two bloodiest days of combat back to back.
The rampant rise in fatalities comes after the approval by Western countries for Ukraine to launch an armed attack within Russia.
Ukraine intends to persuade its partners to waive further limits on using their weapons against Russian targets, the country's foreign minister said.
And according to Ukraine's Defence Ministry, Vladimir Putin suffered 1,270 casualties in 24 hours, making yesterday the worst day in Russia's two-year meatgrinder conflict with Ukraine.
But the figure was surpassed on Tuesday, when the defence ministry claimed Ukraine's troops had "eliminated" 1,290 additional Russians.
The overall number of Putin's troops dead since the dictator invaded Ukraine is now well over 500,000, according to the ministry.
Ukrainian forces are now said to have killed 512,420 Russian troops and destroyed 7,794 tanks, 15,020 armoured combat vehicles, and 13,345 artillery pieces since the start of the war.
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Fifteen of the tanks, 18 of the combat vehicles, and 65 of the artillery systems were eliminated yesterday - as were 27 drones, 69 vehicles and fuel tanks, three air defence systems, and 12 special equipment pieces.
Kyiv says Russian casualty figures have been above 1,000 per day since Moscow launched a new offensive in Kharkiv on May 10.